Serological diagnosis of leprosy in patients in vietnam by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with Mycobacterium leprae-derived major membrane protein II.
A serological diagnostic test using phenolic glycolipid-I (PGL-I) developed in the 1980s is commercially available, but the method is still inefficient in detecting all forms of leprosy. Therefore, more-specific and -reliable serological methods have been sought. We have characterized major membrane protein II (MMP-II) as a candidate protein for a new serological antigen. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using the MMP-II antigen (MMP-II ELISA) for detecting antibodies in leprosy patients and patients' contacts in the mid-region of Vietnam and compared to the results to those for the PGL-I method (PGL-I ELISA). The results showed that 85% of multibacillary patients and 48% of paucibacillary patients were positive by MMP-II ELISA. Comparison between the serological tests showed that positivity rates for leprosy patients were higher with MMP-II ELISA than with PGL-I ELISA. Household contacts (HHCs) showed low positivity rates, but medical staff members showed comparatively high positivity rates, with MMP-II ELISA. Furthermore, monitoring of results for leprosy patients and HHCs showed that MMP-II is a better index marker than PGL-I. Overall, the epidemiological study conducted in Vietnam suggests that serological testing with MMP-II would be beneficial in detecting leprosy.
Kai
Masanori
M
Department of Microbiology, Leprosy Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 4-2-1 Aoba-cho, Higashimurayama, Tokyo 189-0002, Japan. mkai@nih.go.jp
Nguyen Phuc
Nhu Ha
NH
Hoang Thi
Thuy Huong
TH
Nguyen
An Hoang
AH
Fukutomi
Yasuo
Y
Maeda
Yumi
Y
Miyamoto
Yuji
Y
Mukai
Tetsu
T
Fujiwara
Tsuyoshi
T
Nguyen
Tan Thanh
TT
Makino
Masahiko
M
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007918:Leprosy / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000276:immunology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D006017:Glycolipids; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C500901:major membrane protein II, Mycobacterium leprae; C045169:phenolic glycolipid I, Mycobacterium leprae